The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's 50 best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.
Wine Description
The Story
La Grande Année is the very embodiment of an exceptional, timeless champagne. Artisanal savoir-faire is at the heart of its production. One such artisanal technique is vinification, which takes place in oak barrels that are around 20 years old. This helps the wine develop complex aromas, and, thanks to micro-oxygenation, lends an extraordinary ageing potential. These 4,000 barrels are housed and maintained in the Champagne Bollinger Cooperage. Bollinger is the only Champagne House to have a resident cooper.
All Bollinger vintages, including La Grande Année, are riddled and disgorged entirely by hand, a process which takes place after the wine has long been aged on its lees, in bottles sealed with cork. These rigorous, artisanal techniques contribute to making La Grande Année a truly hand-crafted wine.
Vintage 1983
Champagne: The 1983 vintage was one of the decade’s most mature vintages and is at its best today.
This vintage was not born without pain, either. If the 1982 winter was cold and the spring cool, then this year it was many more times so. The damp and flowering. When it finally took place, the weather conditions were excellent. The summer was warm and sunny. As in the previous year, fall rains saved the grapes from drying up. Along with the rains of early September, temperatures fell and the maturing slowed down. The weather improved toward the end of September, and the harvest was reaped in early October. The vintage grew to be even bigger than the 1982 one. The wines have matured noticeably faster than the 1982 vintage. Stylistically, the wines are robust, lush and at a really enjoyable age right now.